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The Invaluable Apple 

Fruit that Is Food and Medicine 
for Men 



By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS 

Food Advisor of The People's Home Journal; Author of 

"Foods that Will Win the War" and "Making 

the Most of Our Meat Supply"; Food 

Economist of national 

reputation 




\ 



PRIVATELY PRINTED BY 

THE PEOPLE'S HOME JOURNAL 

NEW YORK 






COPYRIGHT 1921 

F. M. LUPTON, PUBLISHER 

NEW YORK 



m 1^1^22 



©CI.A659486 



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The Invaluable Apple 



E, 



FRUIT THAT IS FOOD 
AND MEDICINE 

FOR MAN 



VER since the record of Eden's garden was 
set down in history, the apple has been one of man's , 
favorite fruits. 

In its earher forms it was small and som* — ^more 
like our present-day crab-apple. But someone trans- 
ported young trees to climes where warmer sun- 
glow prevailed, and the small rounds grew larger 
and ruddier and sweeter, though not until compara- 
tively recent times have such splendid specimens as 
now abound in almost every market been known. 

It is essentially a fruit of the temperate climes, 
miable to withstand extreme heat or cold, and in 
these milder zones it flourishes to such an extent that 
men everywhere have come to regard it as one of the 
necessaries among foodstuffs. Probably the ancient 
Romans were first to fully appreciate its value. At 
any rate, when they struck westward into Britain, 
they carried it with them and added it to the fruits 
of that island. 

In this country it has come into its own as a pre- 
eminent food crop. There is hardly a state which 
does not boast at least a fair share of good apple 

3 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



orchards, and in many states it ranks among the 
chief products. Thus, New York, Pennsylvania, 
Virginia and West Virginia, Missouri, Michigan, 
Oregon and Washington are world-famed for their 
fine output. 

A Crop of Countless Kinds 

/ More than a thousand different varieties of 
apples are grown in the United States. Some of 
them, like the Winesap, Greening and York Im- 
perial are as well known as the surnames Smith and 
Jones. Quite a few have wide popularity — some 
for cooking purposes, others for eating — and there 
are hundreds of varieties of more or less local repu- 
tation. 

Until within fairly recent years, each community 
was self-supplied. The art of packing for shipment 
had not been developed and transportation facilities 
were limited. Today, with fast freight and refriger- 
ation, and with a system of packing which guaran- 
tees excellent condition, however long the journey, 
we find the famed varieties in every little hamlet, 
and when we travel abroad, in London and Paris we 
meet familiar names on the fruit-stands. 

For within the past twenty-five years the apple, 
marvelously improved in size, flavor and keeping 
qualities, has become a year-'round standard. And 
this is as it should be, for not in all of Nature's wide 
range of edibles is there a fruit more delicious or one 
more freighted with varied benefits for those who 

eat it. 

4 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



A Fruit That Favors Health 

The old saying — "An apple a day keeps the 
doctor away" — is familiar to everyone. It is also a 
well-known fact that various "fruit cures" have been 
and still are popular. The great Linnaeus is said to 
have rid himself of gout by eating plenteously of 
ripe cherries, and the "grape cure" has long been 
famous. 

No one has said or written much about an apple 
cure, probably because nearly everyone is subcon- 
sciously aware that apples are among the best things 
we can eat — as much for health as for palate satis- 
faction. But to limit the anti-doctor defense to one 
a day is a mistake. 

Eat at least three a day, unless you happen to be 
one of those rare individuals with an antipathy for 
this wonderful form of flavorful nutriment. Yes, 
eat apples at bedtime, if you choose, for it has been 
pretty well proved that so long as we select well- 
ripened ones and chew them thoroughly, they can- 
not fail to serve us both pleasurably and profitably. 
If owing to bad teeth apples cannot be well chewed 
they should be finely grated and combined with 
ground nuts, crushed bananas, coarse oatmeal, rice 
pudding or crumbed bread and biscuit served with 
cream. For old folks these ways of getting apples 
into the diet are invaluable. 

Exercise good judgment in the selection of apples 
to be eaten raw — some varieties are far superior to 
others, and some of those that cook best are poorest 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



to eat. But eat apples — raw and cooked — and rest 
assured they will do you good. Make them a regular 
part of the daily diet, and see how much fitter you 
feel! 

A Vehicle for Vitamines 

Before proceeding to tell you why the apple is 
such a food-blessing, let me pass along the news of 
their latest-found virtue. 

They contain vitamines ! ^ 

Of course, we get our largest supply of these most 
necessary nutritional elements from leaf vegetables 
and milk, but it has been found that the apple con- 
tains a small percentage of the antiscorbutic vita- 
mine — the one that serves as a preventive and re- 
liever of scurvy. Naturally, such a discovery adds 
to the glory of this commonplace fruit, and must 
lift it even higher in public esteem. It is a pleasant 
fact to remember the next time you dig your teeth 
into a juicy Jonathan; the next time you tell the 
young hopeful of the family that he — or she — can 
have an apple to take to school, or to eat after com- 
ing home from school. 

But, important as this discovery is, it is not in any 
way calculated to dull the numerous other apple 
virtues which have long been known to medical 
science and the people at large. 
Real Food in Fruit Form 

None but the most ignorant nowadays think of 
fruit as a tid-bit to be eaten at odd moments when 
one wants something tasty. Old and false notions 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



of its low food worth in calories have been replaced 
by the accurate findings of nutritional science, and 
its place in the diet is one of importance. 

A fresh, ripe apple of any of the kinds ordinarily , 
eaten raw contains from eight to eleven per cent of | 
sugar, and sugar is the very essence of energy-pro- ; 
ducing food. Be sure to insist, however, upon ripe- 
ness, for under-ripe apples contain a considerable 
percentage of starch which, because the flesh of the 
fruit is apt to be swallowed in fairly large pieces, is 
not easily converted in the stomach, and therefore 
gives rise to that form of discomfort which so dis- 
tressed Johnny Jones and his sister. Sue ! 

In pies, green apples are all right, for the heat of 
cooking partially converts the starch. But unless 
cooked, they are to be avoided. 

As the apple ripens, this starch content gradually 
disappears, and the blushing ball which tempts the 
eye first and then completely conquers the sense of 
taste is almost starch-free. 

Of course, the composition of apples varies as to 
variety, and as to the soil in which the trees grow, 
but this variation is not so wide as one might imag- 
ine, and as a whole the members of this pomaceous 
family present a fairly even "table of contents." 

The Worth Behind the Beauty 

It is safe to say that the fine-looking Northern 
^VY y^^ ^^^ about to devour — quite as safe to speak 
thus of any one of a dozen well known varieties—^ . 
contains eighty-five per cent of water. And this/ 



i^ 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



water — refreshing and thirst-quenching — is the best 
you can get, for Nature takes great care in its dis- 
tilhng, and brings it to you in a germ-proof con- 
tainer, so that it is far superior to any of man's dis- 
tilled waters. The flushing action of water on the 
tissues and its furtherance of the excretion of waste 
products is well known, and the fruit eater secures 
in his fruits sufficient water to provide his require- 
ments in this direction. 

The remaining fifteen per cent of the piece of 
fruit is composed of sugar, crude fibre, ash, mineral 
salts, protein and pectose, tannin and other acids. 
Each of these has a part to play in the upbuilding 
and maintenance of the body. Each is a health- 
helper. 

Some of the valuable mineral salts are contained 
in the skin, so where one is willing to make the small 
extra effort required to thoroughly grind this outer 
covering in the mouth, the food value of the fruit is 
increased. But of late years many orchard men have 
taken to spraying their apple trees with poison mix- 
tures, to hold insect enemies at bay, and this makes 
it the part of wisdom to carefully wash the apple 
before eating it. 

AD authorities on diet recognize the wholesome- 
ness of apples. Their nutritive worth is enhanced by 
the ease with which they are digested by most per- 
sons, and further augmented by their gentle laxa- 
tive quality. In this connection I wish to state that 
even dyspeptics, who find raw apples hard to handle, 

8 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



can eat them stewed, not only with comfort and 
satisfaction, but often with highly beneficial results. 
The process of cooking seems to remove the last 
vestige of objection on the part of even the most 
delicate stomach. 

Neutralizes Acid Foods 

The apple contains a considerable percentage of 
potassium and sodium salts, excellent sources of 
muscular energy, and its acids, purifiers of the sys- 
tem, are know^n to be of marked benefit, especially 
to persons of sedentary habits. Indeed, it is gen- 
erally accepted that one of the chief points in their 
palatability, as well as their healthfulness, is their 
acid content which, becoming alkali in the body, 
neutralizes the acids formed by protein and carbo- 
hydrate foods. 

Aside from the sugar, the acid in apples is the 
dominant factor in their flavor, though the latter 
also is influenced by certain essential oils and ethe- 
real substances which, while they exist in quantities 
too small to be definitely measured, play an impor- 
tant part in the sum total of palatability and whole- 
someness. 

Malic acid is the chief acid in apples, and it is 
found in larger percentage in under-ripe than in the 
well-ripened fruit. Undoubtedly it has a salutary 
effect on the system when taken in such combination 
as the apple affords. 

The juice of the apple, in common with that of 
many other fruits, coagulates to a semi-solid state 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



after having been boiled a certain length of time and 
then allowed to stand. This is due to the pectin 
bodies, constituting the "pectose content," and it is 
this content that makes the apple such a popular 
fruit for jellying. Every housekeeper knows that 
a sour apple added to almost any fruit makes pos- 
sible a firm jam or jelly and the manufacturer of 
such products regards the apple as his best and 
cheapest base. 

The apple also contains tannin, which is a univer- 
sal constituent of nearly all the members of the vege- 
table kingdom. It is not present in such quantity as 
to produce bitter characteristics, but simply in suffi- 
cient measure to add to the flavor and palatability. 
So it may be seen that in the apple Nature has stored 
a wonderful combination of flavor, food value and 
health-giving properties. When this is coupled to 
the fact that no other fruit is so abundant, one be- 
gins to see why the apple industry has assumed a 
place of high importance. 

Apples Are Mild Aperients 

"Life is as good as the liver" is the waj^ a famous 
after-dinner speaker used to put it, and whoever has 
been conscious of a sluggish liver is well aware of the 
truth of this statement. 

No liver can long remain sluggish if apples are 
used freely, however, for this fruit exerts a mild 
aperient action which not only aids in stimulating 
intestinal activity but at the same time has a most 
beneficial influence on the organ that secretes bile. 

10 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



In this way it serves as an able assistant in the ehm- 
ination of poisons which, if allowed to remain, would 
cause serious trouble. 

It is also claimed that the eating of a ripe apple 
just before retiring will help to induce sleep. But 
here, as elsewhere, the raw apple must be well mas- 
ticated and the eater must possess a stomach capable 
of taking care of raw food. 

What Apples Shall We Eat Raw? 

As I have said before, there are two distinct 
classes of apples — those especially suited for cook- 
ing and those preferable for eating raw. As a gen- 
eral rule, the sour apples are best for cooking, but 
there are some persons who prefer their acid flavor 
and use them for eating. 

"While individual tastes differ, it may be interest- 
ing to note this list of excellent "raw" material in 
the apple line : 

Baldwin, Banana, Bellflower, Fallawater, None- 
Such, Greening, Northern Spy, Newtown Pippin, 
Winesap, Jonathan, Delicious, Spitzenberg, Hub- 
bardston and Red Astrachan. 

It must not be thought that all of these apples 
mentioned are poor cookers, or, on the other hand, 
that there are not many other apples which admir- 
ably serve the purpose of those who enjoy biting 
into a tempting piece of fruit. But the apples named 
are generally thought to possess superior eating 
qualities when used as they come from tree, box or 
barrel. 

11 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



For eating, an apple should be wholly ripe, but 
not over-ripe. The latter condition is apt to result 
in a mushiness which renders the fruit less palatable. 
And when cooked no apple ever should be over-done. 
The perfection of flavor is apt to be impaired or 
wholly lost by too long a stay on top of or within 
the range. 

Its Part in the Daily Diet 

l^o fruit plays quite so important a part in the 
daily diet, for no other fruit is capable of being 
served in so many different ways, and most of us 
recognize that the apple is a health-giver. 

Otherwise, there never could have come to pass 
such enormous production as now exists. In this 
country alone the average crop represents several 
bushels per capita, and while a large part of this 
enormous harvest is eaten raw, enough remains to 
provide an almost endless variety of cooked apple 
dishes. These extend from the simple stewed and 
baked to the ever-popular pie, and all manner of 
puddings and combinations. These cooked dishes 
include many gastronomic delights, and range 
through every meal. For serving alone or with 
meats ; for use as a sauce with fowl and game, and 
for an endless round of desserts nothing is so easily 
adaptable as the apple. For use raw in salads and 
sandwiches it is ideal. As a matter of fact, no other 
fruit so largely enters into the daily menu, and no 
other is more easily handled in the kitchen. 
\ Yet the apple is not so largely used as it should be. 

12 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



Grown in such large quantities as to make its price 
reasonable at most seasons, it should be more gen- 
erously employed in the food list. When consid- 
ered simply as something good to eat, it is deserving 
of wider appreciation than it receives. And when 
viewed in the light of a food that increases physical 
fitness, it makes an extra appeal. 
Countless Miles of Orchards 

If all the apple orchards in this country were 
strung in a straight line, they would more than reach 
from coast to coast, and if all the fruit grown in a 
single season were piled in one place, it would make 
a pyramid of commanding size. 

Of course, until we come to a better appreciation 
of the need for larger consumption, much of this 
fruit must go to waste. But for many years the 
practice of drying apples for winter use has ob- 
tained, and todaj^ many tons annually are prepared 
in this way. 

Our forefathers used to slice the apples by hand 
and lay them on flat stones in the sun. Nowadays 
the work is done by machinery, and vast quantities 
are thus prepared for market in modern factories 
and imder sanitary conditions. And dehydration is 
a favorite means of putting this popular fruit be- 
yond risk of rot or deterioration. 

One result of these drying processes is to largely 
increase the sugar content of the fruit. Where fresh 
apples contain 85 per cent of water and from 8 to 
11 per cent of sugar, the dried article has only one- 

13 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



third as much water and from four to five times as 
much sugar. And when properly prepared, the best 
varieties of dried and evaporated apples compare 
favorably with the fresh-cooked fruit. An experi- 
enced cook can use them not only in pies and des- 
serts but as compotes and conserves to enhance the 
meat course. In fact, our colonial grandsires de- 
voured them in quantity when boiled with ham. 

A Fine Food Insurance 

Unlike grain and meat, in both of which food 
fields we have come near to our limit of resources, 
fruit — especially the apple — presents almost un- 
limited possibilities for the future feeding of 
mankind. 

Already it has been shown that apple orchards 
flourish in sections of the country where it is not 
easy to produce other crops. This not only makes 
for economy of production, but serves to release 
arable land for further raising of grain and stock- 
feeding. 

In other words, there are today in the United 
States millions of acres of land, much of it hilly, 
which is not available for ordinary farming, but 
which can easily be turned to apple orchards and 
with most profitable results. r 

So the beautiful fruit which tempts both eye and 
palate, and at the same time provides a wealth of 
nourishment and health-giving properties, may in- 
crease in volume as the years go on, giving us still 
more cause for being thankful. Meantime, we should 

14 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



stimulate such increased production by eating more 
apples, purchasing them in quantity in the early fall 
when our markets are glutted and when prices are 
low. With a little care they can be stored to last 
well into the winter, when city prices mount from 
fifty to seventy-five cents per dozen. 



15 



RECIPES 

Apples Creole 

Make a sirup by boiling together one and one-half cupfuls of water, 
one and one-half cupfuls of sugar and two cloves. Peel and core six 
firm tart apples and boil in the sirup until tender, about ten minutes. 
When the apples are tender, remove carefully from the sirup and set 
aside to cool. Reboil the sirup for ten minutes and pour over the 
apples. 

Heat to the boiling point three-fourths cupful of brown sugar and 
one-fourth cupful of water. Cook for eight minutes or until a little of 
the mixture forms a firm ball when dropped into cold water. After re- 
moving from the fire add one-half cupful of pecan nuts and beat until 
creamy. With this mixture fill the cavities in the apples. Serve cold 
with whipped cream or a custard sauce. 

Steamed Apple Pudding 

Rub together two tablespoonfuls of butter and two cupfuls of soft 
bread crumbs. Add one-half cupful of finely chopped apples, one-half 
cupful of sugar, one-eighth teaspoonful of nutmeg, the grated rinds of 
one lemon and one orange, and one cupful of currants washed thor- 
oughly. After mixing well add one tablespoonful each of lemon juice 
and orange juice, or two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, and two well- 
beaten eggs. Pack into a greased mold, cover, and steam for two hours. 
Serve hot with hard sauce or fruit sauce. 

Jellied Apples 

Peel and quarter six large, tart, red apples. Place in a baking dish, 
adding two cupfuls of sugar dissolved in two cupfuls of boiling water. 
Cover the dish and bake in a slow oven until the apples are tender and 
colored a deep pink. Lift the apples carefully from the dish and place 
in a mold rinsed in cold water. Soak one and one-half tablespoonfuls 
of gelatine for five minutes in one-half cupful of cold water. Add to 
the hot apple juice and stir until the gelatine dissolves. Stir in the 
juices of one orange and one lemon and pour over the apples. Chill, 
turn out, and serve with soft custard or whipped cream. 

Apple Gingerbread 

Peel and core three large, tart apples. Cut in very thin slices and 
spread on the bottom of a well-greased baking dish. After melting 
one-third cupful of shortening in two-thirds cupful of boiling water, 
add one cupful of molasses and one beaten egg. Sift together two and 
three-fourths cupfuls of flour, one and one-half teaspoonfuls of baking 
soda, one-half teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful each of cinnamon 
and ginger, and one-fourth teaspoonful of cloves. Stir into the liquid 
mixture and beat until smooth. Pour over the apples and bake in a 
moderate oven for about forty minutes. Cut in squares and serve warm 
either plain or with a liquid sauce, hard sauce, or whipped cream. 

16 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



Apple Rolls 

Sift together two cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of salt and four 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub in four tablespoonfuls of short- 
ening, adding enough milk to make a soft dough. Roll on a floured 
board to the thickness of one-eighth inch, keeping the dough rectangu- 
lar in shape. Spread over it two tablespoonfuls of softened butter, one 
cupful of finely chopped raw apples and one-fourth cupful of sugar 
mixed with one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Roll the dough up tightly and 
cut into slices three-fourths inch thick. Place in a greased pan and bake 
in a hot oven for about fifteen minutes. Serve hot or cold. 



Apple Dumplings 

Sift together two cupfuls of flour, four teaspoonfuls of baking 
powder and one teaspoonful of salt. Rub in four tablespoonfuls of 
shortening, adding enough cold water or milk to make a soft dough. 
Roll on a floured board to the thickness of one-eighth inch, and cut in 
three-inch or four-inch squares. In the center of each square place an 
apple, cored and peeled. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and fold 
the ends together. After placing the dumplings in a greased baking 
pan pour in two-thirds cupful of boiling water, one-third cupful of 
sugar and two tablesponfuls of butter. Bake for forty minutes in a 
moderate oven, basting every ten minutes with the liquid. Serve hot 
with hard sauce. 

Apple Omelet 

Beat to a stiff froth the whites of four eggs. Then add the yolks of 
four eggs and continue beating until well mixed. Add gradually two 
tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar. In a hot frying pan or omelet pan 
melt one tablespoonful of butter. Pour in the mixture and cook slowly 
until firm. Spread over the omelet one cupful of thick, slightly sweet- 
ened apple sauce, fold over, and place on a hot platter. Serve imme- 
diately with powdered sugar. 

Apple Fritters 

Sift together one and one-third cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls 
of baking powder and one-fourth teaspoonful of salt. Add to two- 
thirds cupful of milk one egg beaten until light. Combine the mixtures, 
beating until smooth. Peel two or three large, tart apples, cut into 
thin slices, and stir into batter. Remove the coated slices one at a time 
and drop into deep fat heated to 360 degrees or until it will brown a 
piece of bread in sixty seconds. Drain on soft paper and sprinkle with 
powdered sugar. Serve immediately, either plain or with a well-sea- 
soned sauce. 

IT 



THE INVALUABLE APPLE 



Apple Salad 

Cut a thin slice from the tops of six large, firm, red apples. With a 
strong spoon scoop out the pulp and drop the apple shells into cold, 
slightly acidulated water until ready to use. Cut the pulp into dice and 
mix with popped corn and celery, allowing one-half cupful of each to 
each cupful of apple. Mix with cream mayonnaise dressing and stuff 
into the carefully drained apple shells. Garnish with celery tops and 
serve on lettuce. 

Baked Apples and Custard 

Peel and core six firm, tart apples and place in a baking dish. Fill 
the cavities of the apples with sugar, cover the dish and bake in a 
moderate oven for about twenty minutes. To two eggs slightly beaten 
add one-third cupful of sugar and two cupfuls of scalded milk. Pour 
this over the apples, cooking them uncovered in a slow oven for about 
twenty minutes longer or until the custard is firm and the apples 
tender. Serve cold. Care must be taken not to have the oven too hot 
or the custard will separate. 



18 



Marshall, Brookes & Chalkley, Ltd., 

Pi'inters, 

London and Luton. 




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